~Four Years Ago~
"Papa!" the child runs through the hall and takes the steps down two at a time. Their socks slip and slide along the smooth wood of the floor, and they almost fall several times, but they don't slow down. The stairs are covered with a long carpet, floral print, put there by their Mama, after they'd fallen far too many times. Today, just like all the times before, their Papa returns from his journey. The child always knows he's home when they hear the screech of the rusted hinges, heard only when their Papa walks in the door, never with anyone else.
"Papa!" They jump up and with perfect form, their Papa catching them in his arms.
"There's my buddy. Hey, have you gotten bigger again? If you grow this much in a few months, you'll be as big as me in a few years."
"I will be, Papa. One day I'm gonna be big and strong just like you. I'll be the best in the world!"
"I'm sure you will, I'll be rooting for you all the way." Their Papa ruffles their hair and laughs.
"I could've sworn I put a certain little child to bed, yet here they are playing around with Papa." Their Mama comes out of the kitchen holding a dish towel, her blond hair tied up in a bun, just as she always does when washing the dishes.
"I'm sorry, Mama, I just wanted to see Papa really bad."
She smiles and walks over to them, patting the child's head. "I know, I wanted to see him too." She leans up and he meets her halfway, the two sharing a kiss. "Perhaps Papa will put you to bed this time. He should do it quickly, as I'm sure he's eager to come to bed as well. Right Sweetie?"
She winks her eye. Their Papa becomes flustered and then he quickly says, "What do you say we get you to bed, I'll tuck you in." The child knows that their Mama and Papa just shared another of their secret messages they give from time to time, so to help them, they cooperate willingly.
"Ok, Papa, but you have to do the thing first." They giggle to themself.
"Oh, could you mean this?" Their Papa switches them around so that they are on their back and the child wraps their arms around their Papa's shoulders. Their Papa grabs their arms in support and then prepares to launch. "Ok, we're going to lift off in T-minus 3 seconds, count with me." He starts to countdown and the child joins in.
"3, 2, 1…blast off!" Their Papa runs towards the step and jumps up, landing on the floor upstairs and straight into the child's room in seconds. "How do you do that, Papa? It's almost like we're really flying!" The child lets themself down and hops on their bed.
"What can I say, I'm magical." Their Papa laughs and the child knows he is just being silly like always. "Ok, we've had our fun, but now it's time to get some shut eye. I'll be here tomorrow."
The child snuggles under the covers as Papa tucks them in. "Promise? Will you stay forever?"
"That's my plan. I've been in and out these last ten years, but I think I've finally done what I need to do. Or rather I think I've reached the limit of what I can do, so I'm ready to settle down."
"Cool! Will you teach me your magic so I can be a holy monk too?" they ask with excitement.
"I'm afraid you can't learn my magic, but I can teach you how to protect yourself and Mama."
"Aww…ok." The child pouts under the covers.
Their Papa strokes their head and leans down to their ear and whispers, "Don't be sad. One day you just may find you've got a magic all your own." He kisses the child's forehead and then gets up. As he closes the door, he looks back and says gently, "I love you very much, Ouran."
~
"What do you mean you've got a duty? Your duty is to stay with us and watch over our family!"
"I'm sorry, I really want to, I still do in fact, but I just...can't. Not when he needs me. I won't abandon him again, I've got to make things right, before it's too late. Please understand, Veena!"
"So you can't abandon him, basically a stranger to you, but you can abandon our child. Or has that changed? Are you going to revoke your title now? Would you really do that to our Ouran?"
"No, please don't misunderstand, I'm not forsaking our child and I'll always be their Papa, but now I must go lest I forsake my other children. Please make them understand, it's not on them."
"If you don't want them to feel sad, then that's the reason to stay. Why not send someone else?"
"I can't send anyone else. I'm the one who made this mistake. I must atone and make it right."
"You sound just like he did. Yet you promised you wouldn't hurt us the same, but here you are."
"Veena, I'm not..." She pushes him to the door and throws his suitcase, just missing his head.
"Just go then! Get out of here and don't come back. Don't ever come back. I'll make them forget all about you, just like I did with that man. So go, free your conscience, but don't you dare come back here with regret."
"Veena, wait, just please—" She opens the door and pushes him out, slamming it behind him.
Realizing that he may very well be gone forever and never return, Ouran runs down the stairs to try and catch him. Before they can reach the door, their Mama grabs them, pulling them back.
They struggle, trying to break free. "No, let me go! Mama, please! Papa, I have to—"
She grabs them by their shoulders and looks them in the eyes. "You can't follow him, Ouran. He's going somewhere you can't follow, and so you should just forget about him now. Just get used to him being gone. He's not your father anymore. He abandoned us, same as the last one."
Ouran is shocked by her harsh words and tears begin to fall from their eyes. "No! What do you mean? He can't be gone, he promised. He said he wasn't going to go away. He promised Mama!"
"Well, that's the first lesson you need to learn about reality, Ouran. People lie. People will lie to you straight to your face. That's exactly what he is, a liar. Helios, Silas, Demetrius. Remember those names well. Those are the boys who have taken him away from us." Her tone is bitter.
"Helios, Silas, Demetrius…those are his real children? The ones born from his own blood?"
She nods. "They are where his heart truly lies. Not with the bastard child of a one-night mistake that wasn't even his sin to own. He was never ours to keep, so mourn not for him, but yourself."
She finally lets them go and, like a zombie, walks up the stairs and into her room. She leaves them, her own child, alone on the cold floor, stunned from her harsh words.
All her warmth seems to have vanished at once, and now all that's left of her feelings towards them is spiteful scorn. The loving bond between them has broken and will never be the same.
On this cold, winter night something is born within Ouran, and it is a force more powerful than anything they've ever felt. They know something big is going to change and they're terrified.